Organizing is kind of like playing Tetris. All day long, we puzzle things into cabinets, drawers, bins, and baskets. So, we'd like to think we know a thing or two about packing a suitcase. Our NEAT owners are sharing all their best packing and travel tips to get you prepped and ready for a spring break getaway. Here's what they had to say...
PACKING
"Pack a mini capsule wardrobe (planning each outfit never seems to work for me). I make sure every piece I pack—shoes, jewelry, and bags included—can be worn with at least 3 outfits. "
- Cait Sirianni, NEAT Philadelphia
"Start with shoes. Pick 2-3 pairs, then pack your outfits around them to minimize how many you take."
- Kathryn Gute, NEAT Chicago - Northwest Suburbs
"Lay out all of your clothes and money before a trip. Then take away half the clothes and double the money you take."
- Ashley Polselli, NEAT San Francisco
"Prioritize your outfits from top to bottom, by the days you'll wear them. Pajamas on top, then day 1, then day 2, etc."
- Tara Kohlbacher, NEAT Tulsa
"When my boys were little I would pack an outfit for each day (tee shirt, shorts, underwear, socks) in a ziplock bag with their names. And we always bring our own laundry bags and make one piece of luggage (for returning home) for the dirty laundry so it's together when we get home and it can go straight to the laundry room. "
- April Karn, NEAT South Detroit
"Packing cubes!! Helps you to not overpack and to keep your luggage organized by category. "
- Sarah Davis, NEAT Indianapolis
"I love to bring my mumi x NEAT Method clutch and put all my charging cords in the clear zipper bag it comes with so I can see what I have."
- Alayna Hermans, NEAT Virginia Beach
"I like to repurpose duster covers from handbags to store my shoes in my suitcase. Protects my shoes from getting scratched and protects my clothes from my dirty shoes! I also like to store small items like phone chargers or outlet converters inside my shoes. It's a great space saver!"
- Lyndsey Morgan, NEAT Dallas - Frisco
"Use a garment rack to pull out your clothing prior to packing. Really helps me be strategic and edit myself. "
- Liz Girsch, NEAT Milwaukee
"Pack swim suits in zipper pouches so you can grab and go to the beach or pool. They are great for containing wet suits or keeping separates together."
- Nikki Orsborn, NEAT Pittsburgh
"Bundle your outfits together. Plan outfits ahead of time, fold together and you're good to go!! It makes it easy each morning to simply grab that bundle and get dressed."
- Lizette Elizondo, NEAT San Antonio
"Bundle wrap packing. This involves wrapping clothes around a central core object, which avoids the folds that result in creases. You wrap each item of clothing around a core object, creating a bundle in the process. This creates tension, which is why this method minimizes wrinkling."
- Jen Rowe, NEAT Toronto
"I love to use dry cleaning bags when folding as it prevents deep set wrinkles - more time to vaca :)"
- Shelley Anbouba, NEAT Dallas - Highland Park
TRAVEL
"I use zipper pouches (mostly from different bags, back packs, etc.) and dedicate them to categories I need in my carry-on bag. Snacks, travel make up, sunglasses, hand sanitizer. It doesn’t have to be fancy to be impactful!"
- Sydney Coale, NEAT Dallas - Lakewood
"Wear your heaviest shoes on the plane, vs sticking them in your suitcase. Warm trip - wear your wedges rather than your flats. Cold trip - wear your bulkiest boots"
- Holly Trepka, NEAT Nashville
"On extended travel trips where I have to check my suitcase, I travel with a travel luggage scale for my bag to manage making sure that my suitcase is under 50 lbs. before getting to the airport and having to panic remove items."
- Ashley Hatcher, NEAT Corporate Team
"Put a colorful tag or tape on your luggage so you can spot it super easy from the carousel. "
- Mia Whalley, NEAT New Hampshire
"Unpack the moment you get home."
- Katie Koentje, NEAT San Diego
Happy Travels!
xx,
the NEAT team
